Improvement in hobse hay-forks



@attrib gisten gstrnt @ffies S. W, PATTERSON SANFORD DEWEY, OFMAINESBURG, PENNSYLVANIA.

Letters Patent No. 66,621, dated July 9, 41867.

IMPROVEMENT IN HORSE HAY-FORKS.

TO ALL WHOM IT MAY CONCERN:

Bc it known that We, S. W. PATTERSON and SANFORD DEWEY, of Mainesburg,in the county of Tioga, and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a newand useful Improvementin Hay-Elevating Forks; and we do hereby declarethe following to be e full and exact description of the nature,construction, and operationoi` the same, reference being had vto theaccompanying drawings, which are made a part of this specification, andin which-` Figure 1 is aside elevation of a hay-fork, illustrating ourinvention, the same being represented in its closed condition, and as itappears when ready to be inserted into the hay. A

Figure 2 is a similar view, representing'the fork in its closedcondition, ready to elevate the hay suspended upon the notched prongs.

Figure 3 is a sectional view of the head or upper portion of the rake,representing more clearly the pulleys over which work the elevating anddischarging-ropes.

Figure 4: is a detached edge View ofthe elevating-prongs. l t

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in theseveral' figures.

The objects of our said invention are to enable the fork, with its loadof hay, to be elevated with less power than that which is requisiteinusing forks of the ordinary construction, to increase the capacity ofthe elevatingprongs for holding the hay in suspension, and to preventthe elevating-prongs from becoming locked together in the event ofthepenetrating point being inserted into any hard substance, such asthewagon-rigging or floor.

The following description will enable others skilled in the art to whichour invention appcrtains to fully understand and use the same.

In 'the accompanying drawings, B Bl represent a pair of iron levers,pivoted together at E, and elevated amlowered by means of a rope, S.This rope S passes around the pulley A, which is journaled in the headI-I ofthe hay-fork, and thence passes upward and over the pulley, whichis suspended from the roof of the barn in customary manner. The head His made' of band iron, say three inches in width, and long enough toform, when bent in the manner represented, an -enclosure and bearing forthe pulley A. At one side the head Il is bent at its lower end, as shownat r, fig. 3, and the upper end of the larger lever B is bent in theopposite direction, as shown at b, thus forming a receptacle for theaccommodation of the small pulley It, over which plays the rope D, whichis attached to the outer extremity ofl the toggle-lever C, and whichenables the levers to be closed and the hay discharged when elevated tothe proper-point. I, in figs. l and @represents the axis ofthe pulleyIt. K represents the rivets by which the head H is secured to the upperend of the lever B. By means of the large pulley A we are enabled to4gain power, and thus elevate agiven weight of hay with a degree offacility which has not been heretofore attained in implements of thischaracter. The toggle-levers C C serve to hold the levers B B1 in theiropen ,position while the hayl is being elevated upon the prongs B2 B2;and said togglelevers also enablethe fork to bjc closed by means oftherope D, as before stated. The lever'B, which is somewhat longer than thelever B1, is pointed at its lower extremity, to adapt the fork toreadily penetrate the hay when closed. At a suitable distance from theextreme point of the lever B is formed a shoulder, M, (see gs. 2 and 4,)which protects or shields the blunt end L of the lever B1 when the forkis closed and being inserted into the hay. By referring to fig. 4, itwill be seen that tliefork might be driven some distance int-o vthefloor, rigging, or other hard substance, without interfering with theopening of the levers B Bl after such penetration, because the point Gofthe lever B may be imbedded to a certain extent, and still leave thelower extremity of the other lever free.- We construct the levers B B1with two elevating-shoulders each, each lever having been heretoforeconstructed with but one shoulder. The additional shoulders which wepropose, and which double the elevating capacity of the fork, aredesignated by F F.

Having thus described our invention, the following is what we claim asnew herein, and desire to secure by Letters Patent Y Y We claimthemetallic head or box H, constructed and applied to the leverl B asdescribed, and affording a bearing 'for the pulleys A and R, as and forthe purpose set forth.

S. W. PATTERSON, Witnesses: SANFORD DEWEY.

J. H. GoDnAnD, D. HARBAUGB.

